Right ventricular volume in congenital heart disease.

With use of the Frank lead system, still loop and timed vectorcardiograms were recorded in more than 5,000 patients subjected to complete right and left heart catheterization and selective coronary cineangiography. Data so obtained demonstrated clinical superiority of the vectorcardiogram over the standard 12 lead scalar electrocardiogram. Specific advantages of the vectorcardiogram include (1) recognition of undetected atrial and ventricular hypertrophy, (2) greater sensitivity in identification of myocardial infarction, and (3) superior capability for diagnosis of multiple infarctions in the presence of fascicular and bundle branch blocks. The timed biplane vectorcardiogram is as useful as any number of simultaneously recorded electrocardiographic leads for the analysis of complex arrhythmias and beat to beat changes in intraventricular conduction. Since the validity and usefulness of this technique have been established, it should become part of the routine noninvasive evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disorders.